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About Sir Nicholas

Sir Nicholas Soames has been a Member of Parliament for 35 years. He has represented Mid Sussex since 1997, previously serving as MP for Crawley.

He served as a junior Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and from 1994-1997 he was Minister of State for the Armed Forces.

Between November 2003 and May 2005 Sir Nicholas served in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence.

Sir Nicholas is a very busy backbencher. He is President of the Conservative Middle East Council and he Co-Chairs the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration.

Sir Nicholas was made a Privy Counsellor in July, 2011 and knighted in May, 2014.

Sir Nicholas has specialist knowledge in the fields of defence, Europe, international affairs, trade and industry, aviation and the countryside.

He is Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Game and Wildlife Conservation Group, Co-Chair of the All Party Group on Southern Rail, a Trustee of the Amber Foundation and a member of the Court of the University of Sussex.

Sir Nicholas was born in 1948 and was educated at St. Aubyns, Sussex, Eton College and Mons Officer Cadet School. He is the son of The Late Lord Soames and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill KG. He is married with two sons and a daughter and lives in his constituency in Sussex.

After leaving school he was commissioned into the 11th Hussars [PAO] serving in Germany and the United Kingdom. He was subsequently Equerry to HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB.

He worked as a Stockbroker before becoming Personal Assistant to Sir James Goldsmith, where he gained valuable experience in the manufacturing, service and finance industries in both the USA and Europe.

Sir Nicholas worked on the staff of a United States Senator in Washington D.C for two years and then joined a firm of Lloyds Brokers as a Director.

His hobbies include reading, racing, watching rugby and country pursuits. He has travelled widely.